Programs bring patrons into the library and serve your community as sources of information and cultural entertainment. Aspen Black has been perfroming in libraries all over the US since 2014.
Featured Program:
Generations: Songs & Stories of Rural Legacy
Aspen Black is on a mission to help local people and communities preserve their legacy stories
"Generations" is a live music-and-storytelling program that explores how values, work, and identity are passed down through rural life — and how each generation decides what to carry forward, what to question, and what to leave behind.
Through original songs and spoken reflection, the program weaves together themes of stewardship, hard work, moral courage, family legacy, and connection to place. Rather than presenting nostalgia or surface-level imagery, the program offers an insider perspective shaped by lived experience, thoughtful observation, and a creative lens that invites audiences to see familiar ground in a new way.
Over the course of the program, audiences are guided through a cohesive narrative arc: the inheritance of land and values, the dignity and tension of work, the strength of overlooked voices, the pull of home and history, and the choices that define who we become — both as individuals and as communities. Music serves as both story and reflection, with each song framed to deepen meaning and spark memories.
This program is designed as a focused cultural experience — one that encourages listening, reflection, and conversation long after the final song. Ideal for libraries seeking programming that honors rural life while engaging audiences on a deeper level.
Community engagement: Aspen provides a prompt a few weeks ahead of the program (as well as on the table before and after the program) encouraging patrons to write about their childhood home, family traditions, heritage, and/or connection to the land and local community. She picks 3-4 patrons to read their stories before the show and makes a display of others on the table for patrons to read. some librarians choose to display these stories on a wall or table for weeks after the concert or compile them into a booklet of local history.
Program Options
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60-75 minute presentation-style program
Target audience: middle-aged to senior adults who value family, home, farming/ranching, and rural traditions, as well as younger adults with a keen interest in rural culture and local/family history -
Add-on “Behind the Scenes: Your Life Story Immortalized in Song” Workshop (30–45 minutes)
Aspen is on a mission to help people preserve their own life stories and share those stories with other all over the country. Participants are given a behind-the-scenes look, and examples of, how personal stories can be shaped into songs, then each attendee is guided through a detailed series of prompts about their own life stories and memories, encouraging “the deeper dig” beyond just facts. While participants write and reflect on their own memories and lives, Aspen sits down with each participant for a short interview that may culminate in Aspen writing a song (for future programs) about the story they share.
“I really enjoyed your show. Your sincerity showed through. I could relate to your life experiences."”
— Frank Santorowski, program attendee
